On paper, at least one Eastern Michigan University football commitment looks like a can't-miss star.

Cleveland South High School quarterback Devontae Payne, all 6 feet, 6 1/2 inches and 238 pounds of him, can fling a football 71 yards. He was timed at 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He threw just four interceptions last season, and his coach insists Payne is academically qualified.

Yet Payne, who was named a SuperPrep Magazine Midwest All-American in January by Bill Kurelic, ESPN's Midwest recruiting analyst, will play for the Eagles instead of a bigger-name school. He was among just a handful of recruits confirmed by The Ann Arbor News to be signing letters of intent with the Eagles today. The school was expected to sign at least 20 players.

"I've coached a lot of guys, and (big schools) most definitely missed on him," Cleveland South coach Jarvis Gibson said Monday night.

Gibson, who has coached three players who reached the NFL, including former Ohio State and New England Patriots running back Bam Childress, insisted Payne ranks "right up there with them."

Payne hinted Monday night that he chose Eastern Michigan for two reasons: new offensive coordinator Ken Karcher, who was recruiting him as Toledo's quarterbacks coach before joining EMU, stayed on his recruiting trail, and the Eagles said they'd keep him at quarterback.

"When I went on my visit, I felt chemistry with coach (Ron) English and coach Karcher. It felt right," said Payne, a self-described pro-style, drop-back passer, who expects to redshirt his freshman season and take his time learning Eastern Michigan's no-huddle, spread offense. "I'm competitive, so I want a chance to compete for the starting spot, but it will be a redshirt for me."

Said Kurelic: "He's got great size, outstanding athletic ability. The question is making sure he's taken care of everything academically."

Added Allen Wallace of SuperPrep: "He appears to have an average to strong arm. He can run a little bit. ... He looks to me like a pretty solid prospect. But I can't tell you why, because of his size, he didn't get more scholarship offers. But I presume it's because of not having a great arm. I can say that in my experience, I can't recall a quarterback as tall as he is who turned into a star in college."

Gibson said Monday that Payne has "a cannon of an arm" with an ability to deftly read defenses and call the right audibles. He also said Payne recently was academically approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse.

He surmised that Payne wasn't heavily recruited by larger schools because he didn't attend larger-schools' camps, which could have provided him more exposure.

"If you can't make it to their camp, where they can see you live, they don't offer you a scholarship," Gibson said. "He just didn't have the money to attend all those camps."

But Payne didn't go completely unnoticed.

Last summer at a University of Kentucky camp, he beat out 15 other quarterbacks with his 71-yard heave, and Kurelic declared him Ohio's top quarterback prospect. Gibson said Penn State and Ohio State showed considerable interest early, and Payne even met with Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel.

During his senior season at Cleveland South last fall, Payne threw for 1,363 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he ran for another six touchdowns. He was offered scholarships by Bowling Green, Akron, Toledo and Texas Southern.